Tag: impeachment

Posted on

Jared Kushner Discusses His New Book “Breaking History” On Fox News’ Hannity Show

$upport via Cash App

Former President Trump’s Senior Adviser and Son-in-Law Jared Kushner, appeared on Fox News’ Hannity show (08/22/22) to discuss his new book, “Breaking History, A White House Memoir”. The basic premise of Kushner’s book is that his Father-in-Law accomplished quite a lot in four years, and would have done much more, had he not been subjected to “false investigations”.

Kushner specifically told host Hannity (1:50): “You were speaking earlier about all of the different accomplishments he was able to have economically. Those weren’t an accident. It’s been awful to watch the inflation that’s happened, the rising gas prices, but all that happened under the guise of all the investigations and attacks and I write extensively in the book. Every one who has read it says that it’s a very fast-paced read and that’s because I weave together all of the efforts to try to push forward on the different policies, while simultaneously dealing with all these false investigations that we had to fend off because even though they were based on crazy accusations from the beginning, whether it was the Russia hoax, or trying to get Trump, or impeach him for trying to  investigate corruption in Ukraine, they were serious accusations and we had to take it.”

Kushner also said his book lays out how former President Trump negotiated a deal between Russia and Saudi Arabia in order to save our oil and gas industry. He appeared to blame the current problem we have with high gas prices, on the fact that President Biden doesn’t get along with world leaders like his Father-in-Law did.

He specifically told host Hannity(2:47): “President Trump got along with people in the world. He got along with Vladimir Putin, he got along with President Xi. That didn’t mean he didn’t have tough discussions with them, but I really go through the way that he dealt with them, which is how he kept the world peaceful. All the critics who were lying about the Trump administration for four years, they were saying that if Trump was elected, he would lead to world war three, but we had six peace deals during Trump’s time, and the world was a very very safe place. We go through all that extensively in the book.”

Kushner also talked about his efforts to broker a peace deal in the Middle East. He said(4:10): “One of the efforts that I worked on, that I detail in the book, was the efforts in the Middle East to try to bring peace between Israel and the Arab countries, and that’s something that the conventional thinking was that it would never happen, but President Trump was an outsider. He brought a businessman’s approach to Washington. Businessmen are results-driven, unlike politicians who generally want to just process…I write about how an outsider without a lot of political experience, and a team, came in and were able to achieve results that the political career people were not able to achieve, and so the book really goes through that in detail.”

The interview then came to the million dollar question which every viewer had probably tuned in for, and that is, whether former President Trump would run again in 2024. I got the sense from Hannity’s questioning, that he was almost dissuading Trump from running again because of the toll his presidency has had on his family, but I’ll let you be the judge on that.

Hannity(4:54): “When you factor in all that your family went through, we’re talking about Don Jr, and Eric, and Lara, and Ivanka…when you factor all of that in, do you want him to? Would you want to go through that again?”

Kushner responded in relevant part(5:31): “I think that the way we all viewed it, is that the cost of service, and of the attacks, was very small relative to the impact that President Trump and his administration were able to make for so many people and their families…”

I think it’s safe to say that any reasonable person presented with Kushner’s “small cost” response to Hannity’s question, would conclude that he believes former President Trump will indeed run again in 2024.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Posted on

Trump Lashes Out At AG Barr For Not Going After Hunter Biden

$upport via Cash App

Former President Donald Trump called into Fox News’ Sean Hannity show(04/13/22) where he among other things, lamented the weaponization of law enforcement for political purposes. Trump joked that in the last five years, he has gone through “more investigations than Al Capone, Jesse James and Billy the kid put together.” Yours Truly found this quite interesting because even though weaponization of the criminal justice system for political purposes is a legitimate topic of concern, Trump’s DOJ was brazenly political, especially under Attorney General William Barr. As a matter of fact, Trump admitted to host Sean Hannity that he was frustrated with AG Barr’s refusal to prosecute President Biden’s son Hunter, during the 2020 campaign season.

Trump specifically told Hannity(video at 32:00 onwards): “I’ve gone through in five years, more investigations than Al Capone, Jesse James and Billy the kid put together…They’ve weaponized law enforcement essentially, they’ve weaponized the AGs in the states..and district attorneys…I mean, it’s such a horrible thing that they are doing, and I just don’t think the people of the country are going to take it. but I just, based on past, I think probably nothing will happen[to Hunter Biden]. Look, we also had a chance, but Bill Barr, the Attorney General, didn’t want to be impeached, they[Democrats] were vicious with him…How do you not get impeached? You just sit back and relax and wait out for your term to end, and that’s what he did, and it was a sad thing and a sad day for this country, then he writes his crummy book, which was so false…He was so afraid of being impeached, that he refused to do his job.”

There’s no other way to interpret Trump’s remarks on Hannity other than, he was infuriated by his own AG Bill Barr, for not prosecuting Hunter Biden during the runup to the 2020 presidential elections, a move that Trump knew would give him political advantage over his opponent Joe Biden. This, needless to say, would have been the quintessential weaponization of the criminal justice system. Put another way, Trump is not concerned about the legitimate problem surrounding the weaponization of the criminal justice system, he is just mad that his own AG refused to go along with it when it came to Hunter Biden.

Bottom line folks, as we have seen with many other issues involving former President Trump, projection is always a major theme. As Trump is now complaining about weaponization of the criminal justice system, it must not be left unsaid that his own DOJ was notorious for that. Trump’s remarks also raise serious questions about the Hunter Biden criminal investigation. If Bill Barr was against the investigation while he was AG, why is he now saying on cable TV that Hunter should be investigated?

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Sen Lindsey Graham Hints Republicans May Impeach VP Kamala Harris If They Take Over The House

Senator Lindsey Graham on Fox News Sunday (02/14/2021)

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared on Fox News Sunday on February 14th 2021 to talk about former President Trump’s acquittal by the U.S. Senate, which happened the preceding Saturday. Unsurprisingly, Sen Graham, second only to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) as the staunchest Trumpers in the Senate, excused Trump’s conduct at his appearance on Fox News Sunday. Sen Graham however went a step further and told host Chris Wallace what he really came there to announce, and that is, should Republicans take back the House in 2022, they should immediately impeach VP Kamala Harris as payback for Trump’s latest impeachment.

Senator Graham said, “I condemn what happened on January the 6th, but the process they[House Democrats] used to impeach this president[Trump] was an affront to rule of law…..We’ve opened pandora’s box to future presidents and if you use this model, I don’t know how Kamala Harris doesn’t get impeached if the Republicans take over the House, because she actually bailed out rioters, and one of the rioters went back to the streets and broke somebody’s head open. So we’ve opened pandora’s box and I’m sad for the country.” The full segment of Senator Graham’s interview is available here, but the relevant clip is below

Make no mistake about it, Senator Graham did not go on Fox News Sunday to throw out hypotheticals about future impeachments. He went there to instruct Republicans that if they take over the House in 2022, they must immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against VP Kamala Harris, to avenge his idol Trump. Sadly, this is what this once respected Senator from South Carolina has devolved to–an unabashed lackey for Trump. The same is true for Senator Ted Cruz, and God only knows what former President Trump has on them

Bottom line folks, Yours Truly has repeatedly stated that Trump did not do all the damage to this country during his presidency by himself. At every turn, he benefited from willing abettors like Senators Graham, Ted Cruz and numerous other members of Congress.

Where, as here, Sen Graham throws out hints about a possible impeachment of VP Kamala Harris, the mainstream media and politicos in Washington should interpret it for what it is–a directive from Trump through his trusted lieutenant Lindsey Graham, for House Republicans to impeach Kamala Harris at their earliest opportunity, as payback Trump’s second impeachment. Simply put, the mainstream media and Washington politicos should quit being “surprised” by the actions of Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, and start treating their pronouncements about Trump, as direct instructions from him.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

A Handy List Of 43 GOP Senators Who Voted To Acquit Trump Of Inciting DC Insurrection

The U.S. Senate voted Saturday February 13th, to acquit former President Donald J. Trump of inciting the January 6th 2021 insurrection in Washington DC, which led to five deaths, including two Capitol police officers, and an interruption of a live joint session of Congress. The incident, which mostly played out on live TV, will forever remain one of the lowest points of American democracy because it shattered one of the globally revered cornerstones of American democracy–that regardless of who wins the election, one could always bet on a peaceful transfer of power.

While generally acknowledging that former President Trump did indeed incite the violent mob that descended upon the Capitol building as alleged in his House impeachment, 43 Republican Senators still voted to acquit him, hiding behind the jurisdictional argument that because Trump was no longer in office, the U.S. Senate had no jurisdiction over his trial. In other words, they acquitted Trump because they argued that because he had already left office, his entire Senate trial was unconstitutional–a very shaky legal argument.

It bears pointing out that Trump’s impeachment by the House for inciting DC insurrection happened on January 13 2021, while he was still in office. The House sent the impeachment papers a few days later to the U.S. Senate, then under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. There was enough time for the Senate, then under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to commence a Senate trial while Trump was still in office. Instead, McConnell made sure there would be no Senate trial until after Trump’s term expired on Jan 20, 2021. So it’s quite disingenuous and insulting for Senator McConnell and his fellow Republicans who voted to acquit Trump, to now turn around and hide behind a jurisdictional loophole that they manufactured. The fact of the matter remains that Senate Republicans knew full well that Trump’s incitement of the DC riots was an impeachable offense, so they created the jurisdictional loophole they could hide behind, as they carried out their goal from the beginning–acquit Trump at all costs.

After the Senate vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement which correctly summed up the decision by Republican Senators to acquit Trump:“Today an overwhelming bipartisan vote to convict Donald Trump speaks to the courage of the United States Senate.  I salute the Republican Senators who voted their conscience and for our Country.  Other Senate Republicans’ refusal to hold Trump accountable for igniting a violent insurrection to cling to power will go down as one of the darkest days and most dishonorable acts in our nation’s history.”

Because we totally agree with Speaker Pelosi that the decision by these 43 GOP Senators to acquit Trump of inciting DC insurrection “will go down as one of the darkest days and most dishonorable acts in our nation’s history“, we have to do our traditional name and shame for the sake of future generations. When our children and grandchildren read in History textbooks, that a group of U.S. Senators decided to acquit a U.S. President, even after he incited an insurrection which led to a mob storming the U.S. Capitol, leaving five people dead, it is only fair that they also see the names and faces of the shameful U.S. Senators behind such a horrendous decision. Here’s a handy list of the 43 shameful GOP Senators.

Bottom line folks, as horrible as Trump’s acquittal verdict was to people who love democracy worldwide, there may be a silver lining where Democrats are concerned. Yours Truly has repeatedly stated that the increasing radicalization of the Republican party could provide an opening for Democrats to go after corporations that traditionally sponsor the GOP. A healthy two-party system is good for American democracy, but given everything we’ve witnessed so far with the GOP under Trump, it is debatable whether the GOP is even a political party anymore. This was true even before DC insurrection, but now it is totally impossible to ignore the issue. The radicalization within the GOP under Trump has gotten so bad, that some establishment Republicans are already mulling branching away to form a reasonable “center-right” party. As we approach the 2022 elections, Democrats should seriously pressure corporations that traditionally donate to Republicans, by asking them to justify their continued funding of a party that has basically devolved into a Trump cult. Maybe, just maybe, guilt tripping major corporations into starving Trump’s GOP of major $$$, especially after DC insurrection, is the best way of slapping the Party of Lincoln back to normalcy.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Rep Liz Cheney:”We’ve Never Seen That Kind Of Assault By A POTUS On Another Branch Of Government”

In a refreshing display of resoluteness, a defiant Rep Liz Cheney (R-WY), fresh from a censure by her own party, and an effort to knock her off her House leadership position, today doubled down on Fox News Sunday, slamming former president Trump for the Jan 6th DC insurrection saying, “We’ve never seen that kind of assault by a president of the United States on another branch of government” adding, “That can never happen again.” Rep Cheney made it clear that she will not waver from her principled stance against the unfortunate events of January 6th, despite attacks from Trump and his allies.

This is especially refreshing given the fact that several prominent Republicans, who rightly expressed outrage after the events of January 6th, lately appear to be changing their stances out of fear of attacks by former president Trump and his allies. Rather than confronting the Jan 6th issue directly, and putting the blame squarely where it belongs–on Trump and his election fraud lies, prominent Republicans have resorted to deflecting the blame on Antifa and other leftist groups, on “liberal media bias”, or side-stepping the issue altogether by using the procedural argument that the impeachment of an ex-president is unconstitutional. It is very clear that even though Trump is no longer president, there is still great fear by prominent Republicans, many of whom tout their strong belief in freedom of speech, to criticize him, or his actions in public.

Rep Liz Cheney has remained steady in her denunciation of former president Trump for DC insurrection, despite taking a lot of heat from Trump himself, and his sycophants in the House, who moved to remove her from her leadership position. One of Trump’s biggest sycophants, Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) even travelled to Rep Cheney’s Congressional district in Wyoming to whip up the Wyoming state GOP against Rep Cheney. You rarely see a sitting member of Congress travelling out of state, to go and campaign against a fellow member of Congress(same party) in their home district, because the two disagree on a political issue. The kind of outrageous conduct we witnessed from Trump sycophant Rep Gaetz, is what you’d expect in third-world dictatorships, where personality cults are prevalent, and not in an advanced democracy like the United States.

Also very importantly, Rep Liz Cheney reiterated on her Fox News Sunday appearance, that the events of January 6th were based on lies perpetrated by Trump and his allies, and that the public should not assume that the outcome of Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate will be the end of accountability. She said, “I would also point out though Chris, that the Senate trial is a snapshot. There is a massive criminal investigation underway…..There will be many many criminal investigations looking at every aspect of this [DC insurrection], and everyone who was involved.” This is a key point which is lost to many in the mainstream media, who look at Trump’s upcoming Senate trial as the be-all and end-all of the DC insurrection saga. As Rep Cheney correctly pointed out, it’s only beginning.

Bottom line folks, even though my political views don’t quite align with Rep Cheney’s, I will readily admit that I find her kind of political courage highly refreshing, especially in today’s polarized Washington. If our democracy is to survive Trumpism and it’s attendant QAnon nonsense, it will be because Republicans like Liz Cheney, who know better, looked Trump in the eye and told him, “Enough already. Knock it off!” The fence-straddling we’re witnessing from Ambassador Nikki Haley, Governor Kristi Noem, Senator Marco Rubio, and other leading Republicans rumored to be running for president in 2024, is appalling and quite frankly, makes them unfit to lead the United States, a beacon of democracy worldwide. Maybe Cheney2024 is the Party of Lincoln’s last hope for survival!!

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Lev Parnas Says It Was All About Biden, Not Corruption

In an explosive interview on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show, Lev Parnas, the indicted Ukrainian-American at the very center of President Trump’s impeachment saga, appears to have dealt a death blow to Trump’s defense when he told host Maddow that all Trump wanted from President Zelensky of Ukraine was dirt on Biden and that he was never interested in rooting out corruption in the country.

Parnas told Maddow, “It[Ukrainegate]was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and also Rudy [Giuliani]had a personal thing with the Manafort stuff, the black ledger. That was another thing that they were looking into. But it was never about corruption, it was strictly about Burisma which included Hunter Biden and Joe Biden.”

This is a very problematic revelation for the Trump team because their entire defense has been that as President, Trump had every right to deny aid to Ukraine if he felt that hard earned U.S. tax dollars would be misappropriated by corrupt Ukrainian officials.

Republican Senators, especially those from swing states who are up for reelection this year, have found it impossible to defend Trump against allegations that he sought help from a foreign country (Ukraine) to dig up dirt on his political opponent (Biden). These Senators have instead rested on the more palatable anti-corruption defense.

If Parnas’ allegation that this was all about Joe Biden pans out, and all indications are that they will, then the vulnerable Republican Senators who have relied on the anti-corruption defense will have no leg to stand on and may be forced to do the unthinkable–put the country’s interests over the GOP and vote to remove Trump from office .

Bottom line folks, we all know that Washington and indeed the rest of the country has become deeply polarized as a result of the Trump presidency. Under any other normal administration, the revelations brought forward by Ukrainegate would be enough to garner bipartisan support both in the House and Senate for a president’s impeachment and removal from office. It will be interesting to see whether partisanship in Washington has become so bad under Trump, that he is allowed to get away with his very troubling conduct re Ukrainegate–the quintessential “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com
Posted on

Lindsey Graham’s Totally Bogus Hearsay Defense

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared on CBS’ Face The Nation today and as expected, made a totally bogus defense of President Trump as regards the impeachment inquiry. Sen Graham’s argument was that because the whistleblower complaint is based on “hearsay” (second hand information), it is not credible and cannot be used in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Sen Graham said on Face The Nation, “We are not going to try the President of the United States based on hearsay. Every American has a right to confront their accuser…….” Sen Graham, a lawyer, knows full well that the purpose of the impeachment inquiry is to ascertain whether the allegations in the whistleblower complaint are true and if so to use them as a basis for impeaching Trump. Nobody is “Trying Trump” based on the allegations in the whistleblower complaint. You don’t have to take Yours Truly’s argument for it, just listen to what Republican Congressman Will Hurd, who appeared on Face The Nation right after Sen Graham said.

Congressman Hurd told host Margaret Brennan, “There are troubling issues within the whistleblower’s report, but they are allegations and I think that’s why we should explore these allegations through hearings….in order to get to the bottom of this. I will say this, I was never in a terrorist organization but I collected a lot of intelligence on terrorist organizations when I was an undercover officer in the CIA and so being able to get information second hand is not necessarily a bad thing. I can’t speak to the veracity of this whistleblower’s information but that’s why we bring people in and try to collect facts, understand what was said and be methodical about this…” There you have it forks, Rep Hurd lays out perfectly why there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the whistleblower complaint or the impeachment inquiry as Sen Graham alleges.

It is well known in the legal profession that a complaint does not have to be a first hand account to be credible. Very many meritorious complaints are often based on second-hand information. It is the job of the fact finder (a judge) or in this case Rep Adam Schiff and company, to hold hearings to ascertain whether the allegations in the whistleblower complaint are true. The impeachment inquiry is therefore a perfect vehicle for verifying the allegations made in the whistleblower complaint and it does not in any way violate Trump’s due process rights as Sen Graham, a lawyer, deliberately mischaracterizes it.

Bottom line folks, as Trump’s impeachment inquiry chugs along, expect Trump’s defenders like Sen Lindsey Graham to use every trick in the book to hinder or otherwise derail what is clearly a lawful and necessary impeachment inquiry. Their aim is to prevent the public from getting to the bottom of what happened in Ukraingate and to that end they will do everything to either totally cripple or undermine the integrity of the impeachment inquiry. It is sad that the once respectable Senator Lindsey Graham has stooped to this level and is putting the interests of his political party above our national security interests. If Trump used his office to get a foreign leader to interfere in our elections, the public deserves to know that and Sen Graham should not be working to cripple or malign the impeachment inquiry just to appease Trump. The allegations in the whistleblower complaint raise national security issues, something the old respectable Lindsey Graham might have been concerned about.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Lindsey Graham’s Impeachment Hypocrisy

CNN’s Inside Politics has uncovered a 1999 video showing then Rep Lindsey Graham arguing for then President Clinton’s impeachment because as chief law enforcement officer, he had not only lied, but also encouraged others to lie for him. Essentially then Rep Graham was saying that by encouraging others to lie for him, Clinton(a Democrat) had obstructed justice and thus needed to be impeached. You will notice that President Trump(a Republican) is currently facing the exact, if not worse accusations, yet Sen Lindsey Graham is now against impeaching Trump.

https://youtu.be/GaBBsvuCbU4

Then Rep Graham specifically said, “He[Clinton] is the chief law enforcement officer in the land. He encouraged people to lie for him. He lied. I think he obstructed justice and I think there’s a compelling case that he has in fact engaged in conduct that would be better for him to leave office than to stay in office.”

Bottom line, Sen Lindsey Graham is up for reelection in 2020 and all indications are that he will cruise to victory. However if Democrats proceed with impeachment proceedings against Trump and expose Trump to have engaged in the same conduct Lindsey Graham wanted Clinton impeached for, the shameful hypocrisy might create an opening for Graham’s 2020 Dem challenger.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. 

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

McConnell, Graham Impeachment Hypocrisy

In case you missed it, CNN recently dug up video footage(1999) of GOP Senators Mitch McConnell(KY), Lindsey Graham(SC), and Chuck Grassley(IA) explaining their reasons for supporting President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. Listening to the explanations given by Senators McConnell, Graham and Grassley in support of Clinton’s impeachment in 1999 and considering the fact that all of them are now staunch defenders, even abetters of President Trump who is accused of doing far worse, it is hard to avoid the shocking hypocrisy displayed by these three senior U.S. Senators.

Senator Mitch McConnell for example said on February 10, 1999, “The problem is lying under oath and obstructing justice. The subject matter[Monica Lewinsky] is not what is significant here. It is lying under oath and obstructing justice.”

Senator Lindsey Graham said on January 16, 1999, “The point I’m trying to make is you don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. Impeachment is not about punishment, impeachment is about cleansing the office.”

Senator Chuck Grassley said on January 9, 1999, “We are miraculously transformed from politicians to people who leave their Republican and Democrat labels at the door. We’re there to seek the truth and to find out whether the president is guilty or not guilty, and no stone should be left unturned to make that determination.”

From what we have seen so far, I think it is fair to conclude that Mitch McConnell will never vote to impeach Trump even if evidence was produced proving that Trump obstructed and is still obstructing justice. It is also fair to conclude that Senator Graham will never vote to impeach Trump without a conviction in an effort to “cleanse the office” even if a mountain of evidence was presented showing Trump has defiled/is still defiling the office. As for Senator Grassley, it is likewise fair to conclude that he will never shed his Republican label and vote to impeach Trump even if a determination was made that he was guilty of a crime.

Bottom line, it is not uncommon for politicians from both sides of the aisle to be caught in hypocritical stances. The Trump presidency however has brought political hypocrisy to a whole new alarming level. Simply put, no self-respecting individual who took issue with President Clinton’s lying and obstruction of justice would ever fervently defend Trump, a far worse and serial offender, as Senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley have. It is such sickening hypocrisy that turns a lot of young impressionable people away from politics–a sad state of affairs indeed.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. 

You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Why Trump’s Impeachment & Removal From Office Is Very Real

After recent developments in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) case involving longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen, the mainstream media is rife with stories about how the fallout from the Cohen case could expose Trump to criminal liability and possible impeachment proceedings

Almost all the reporting from the mainstream media seems to indicate that by directing Michael Cohen to pay hush money to adult film star Stephanie Clifford(aka Stormy Daniels) and Playboy model Karen McDougal, Trump’s only criminal liability is felony campaign law violation. This idea that Trump is only looking at campaign law violations in regards to Michael Cohen has become so prevalent that the usual Trump defenders have already crafted a defense for him–the “intent” defense. 

Trump’s defenders are already out there making the argument, a very credible one, that in order to convict on a campaign law violation, the prosecution will have to prove intent–in this case, that Trump ordered Cohen to make the hush payments for campaign purposes. Trump’s lawyers will obviously counter that he ordered the payments to shield his family, especially his wife Melania from embarrassment–a very good defense, albeit untrue. 

Remember in criminal cases in order to obtain a conviction, the prosecution has to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Here any reasonable person would agree that Trump’s lawyers can create enough reasonable doubt as to his intent in ordering the hush payments, to beat the case. This is precisely why Trump loyalists are already downplaying his potential campaign law violations.  

What is shockingly left out of the mainstream media coverage however, that should greatly worry Trump loyalists is the fact that in regards to Michael Cohen, campaign law violations are Trump’s least problems. Trump’s real criminal liability in regards to Michael Cohen come in the form of bank fraud, money laundering and wire fraud–all very serious felonies which if New York prosecutors can present evidence of, will almost certainly lead to his impeachment and removal from office. You don’t have to take Yours Truly’s word for it, just listen to what former FBI Assistant Director for Counter Intelligence Frank Figluzzi said on MSNBC’s Deadline White House show. The full Deadline White House segment is available here but the relevant clip is below.

Figliuzzi told Deadline White House host Nicolle Wallace; “…He[Trump] was directing this activity allegedly and the activity is far more Nicolle than simply trying to keep women quiet that you had an affair with. We are talking about directing things like bank fraud, money laundering, wire fraud……” Folks, if the Southern District of New York prosecutors can present evidence that Trump either did or directed Cohen to commit bank fraud, money laundering or wire fraud, serious felonies often associated with organized crime, you can rest assured that GOP Senators Collins, Rubio, Sasse, Murkowski and others will join the Democrats in removing him from office. Given the fact that Cohen has been cooperating, there’s a very good chance that SDNY prosecutors already have evidence of bank fraud, money laundering and wire fraud. 

Bottom line folks, contrary to the characterizations you are hearing from the mainstream media, this Michael Cohen story is deadly serious and is about much more than campaign finance violations. Trump faces a very real possibility of impeachment and removal from office because of potential bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering cases that can be made against him as a result of Michael Cohen’s cooperation with SDNY.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.